Space shuttle Discovery is set to bow out tomorrow with its final homecoming at the end of a distinguished career which began on 30 August, 1984.
Discovery performs its flyaround of the International Space Station as both spacecraft orbit over the Sahara Desert. Pic: NASA TV The venerable vehicle has two landing …

AC@13:59

In terms of the outside world quite a lot. In terms of the Shuttle itself, not much.

NASA has spent at least a *billion* dollars on *developing* upgrades but *very* few have been retro-fitted.

It's retirement is *not* sad as it has reached (if not exceeded) its useful life, but the missed opportunities, the wrong conclusions drawn about future systems and the *disgraceful* behavior of some Senators *is*.